HBO Max completes rollout of its much-needed app redesign

It took the better part of a year, but HBO Max's app should (hopefully) be more enjoyable to use. Warner Bros. Discovery has completed rolling out its redesigned app to desktop, Android, and iOS, delivering a more intuitive interface, improved performance, and arguably lagging features. It finally supports tablets in portrait and vertical mode, for example. You'll also find a dedicated video download page, split-screen support, SharePlay (on Apple devices in the US), and a shuffle button on mobile.

This move puts an end to a long and painful saga. In its rush to launch HBO Max, WarnerMedia based the original app on the same foundations as its aging Go and Now apps. The result was, frankly, a mess - it was buggy, slow, and otherwise less polished than software from competing services. While the new app won't convince you to subscribe on its own, it might ease any jitters.

The timing is not ideal. Warner Bros. recently confirmed that it will merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one service next summer. The application you see today won't last long. That said, the redesign promises a better starting point for the new platform.

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